Preparing for Levi

I know I've shared this information here a thousand times already, but we're soon heading off to Levi for a week soon and I can't wait! One more week and we're there :) Whoop whoop! Even though we will be mostly doing cross-country skiing, I'm taking the gear for downhill skiing with me as well. Me and my sis will conquer the mountains! ;)

Zell am See, Austria 2011

The fast & the furious taking a break ;)

I've been browsing through some old pictures from our skiing trip in Austria in 2011 and really have the urge now for speed and excitement now too. The slopes at Levi won't be nothing compared to the ones in Zell am See, but I'm sure we'll have lots of fun there too. Also, while looking at these pictures, I realized something... I have no clue where that skiing gear is! :D

This gear - wanted!

I searched through the whole apartment, called my mom, sis and dad and was finally able to locate the snow pants and the jacket. My dad had them in his storage for some reason, all I need to do is to go get them asap. I've had this set for years already but I'm secretly dreaming about a new set...

Peak Performance

This collage that I just created has exactly the right elements that I'm seeking after in a perfect skiing outfit. Bright colors, yet simple and laid-back. I don't think I've ever been a fan of patterns or multi-colored jackets or pants, but combining two bright colors would do the trick for me.

Fur hats

I'd also love to have a white fur hat for skiing and I've been looking for it for a long time already. The ones above give some kind of an impression of what I have in mind, but are not even close to the real deal. My dream hat would be all-white; white leather and white fur. I think L might even have a picture of me from Montreal trying that kind of a beauty on :) Sadly, I left it in the store back then...

Anyway, now that the old set was found, I'll be all set for the trip! Wohoo!

Ankle boot cravings

Along with the sunshine and an exceptionally warm weather in February (!!), I have realized that shoe-wise I'm not prepared for the spring. At all. My collection of shoes is heavily focused on winter boots and summer heels, but there's nothing for the seasons in between. I had a pair of brown ankle boots that  I really liked, they looked like skates in the front and had a wedge heel. But they were a bit uncomfortable on and after the heels got completely trashed, I had to throw them away - there were huge cracks in the shoes' heels :))

So this is something that I've been dreaming about lately. Way too expensive for my budget at the moment, but hey, a girl can always have dreams. Shoe dreams ;)

Henri Lloyd Trentham Chelsea Boot

Yesterday I came across with a competition in a blog that I occasionally read. I usually always skip these kind of commercial posts and don't even read them, but this one really catched my eye. It said that the winner gets 200€ gift to an online shoe store so this time had to participate :)) Those Henri Lloyd ankle boots would quickly find their way to a new home if I won the competition... ;)

Skiing camp

Warning: this post is about cross-country skiing only, so skip it if you don't give a rat's ass about the sport :D

Skiing is a tough sport and requires practicing - if you're not doing it for fun only, like I used to. For me, cross-country skiing has always been a fun sport, but I was always more drawn to downhill skiing. I guess it was the speed and excitement that just took over me ;) The view from the top of a mountain is just breath-taking and there are also many other activities that you can do there. After-ski, for example ;) lol.

But to get back to cross-country skiing, I think it was in 2009 that something changed. We traveled to Lapland with my mom and her better half and skied there for a week. We went for long skiing trips, longer than I've ever been to and I think I kind of took those trips as a challenge and wanted to learn to ski well. Not just for fun, but learn how to do it for the joy of the sport itself and the exercise, of course. During that week, I went downhill skiing by myself too, but it was a bit boring since I had no company. I think it was there and then that I realized how much fun cross-country skiing can also be. Long trips on the mountains, beautiful views there too, and hot juice for breaks :P Since then, I have been been skiing more and the last couple of years have been great in terms of the sport.

This winter I have been practicing a lot more than ever before and actually feel like there has been some progress. So far I've been skiing along "easier routes" (no hills :D) in Helsinki and on challenging tracks at our cottage in Vierumäki - there are a lot of tracks in the forest that are taken really good care of! I have already noticed that with this practicing, 1-4 times a week, I can now ski for longer without feeling like I'm gonna faint soon :D Also, I have improved my technique quite a bit and understand more about the maintenance of skis and how the weather affects their functionality. There are a lot of things to improve still, but I'm eager to learn more :)

So here I am, at our cottage in Vierumäki again. I have practically spent the days on skis, practicing, which is smart considering our upcoming skiing trip in Lapland in March. I have to be ready for longer routes and challenging tracks ;)

Tuesday: 10km in the morning and 10km in the evening

My new Madshus skis

The 10 km in the morning were like having glue in the bottom of my skis. My brand new zero skis! Ugh. They're meant for a warmer weather, but the temperature had dropped too low and I should have had my regular skis with me. Anyway, it was tough and I was exhausted when we got back to the cottage.

The right skis for -5C weather

In the evening another pair of regular skis worked like magic. We literally flew on the skiing tracks, it was so much fun! Me and my mom were supposed to go only for a short trip, but ended up skiing for another 10km :)

Back at the cottage after our second round of the day

Wednesday: 15km + an awesome sunny weather

No need for titles, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves ^___^

On Wednesday we had such a luck with the weather! It was all bright and sunny and the skis that I had were perfect for that weather. No slipping, but the skis slided on the tracks like dream. We decided to take a different route than before, and skied 7,5km along it, turned and skied back the same way.

Thursday: 22km + slipping and falling down on my face a couple of times :D

On our way to Heinola

A hut for skiers and hikers to have a cup of coffee in

Never forget the hot juice ;)

View to a frozen lake

No horsepower on the skiing tracks :')

Half way of the "Lynx route"!

Today I was impressed, me and my mom skied 22km! Whoop whoop! We took the "Lynx route" from Vierumäki to Heinola, 11km there and back. I had to face a couple of minor accidents on the way (falling down on my face), but survived with just a few bruises and a tummy hurting out of laughter :)) Well, I'll learn some day.. :D

Tomorrow we're leaving, but are probably gonna go skiing one more time in the morning. Nothing too long, since our legs are still hurting from all the previous trips ;) So let's see if I can survive this "camp" and learn a little something again for the upcoming trip to Lapland.

Winter Fool

Hmmh.. I guess I should have been honest already in the heading and  talk about a freak instead of a fool. I don’t know what’s gotten into me this year, but at the moment I’m really into winter sports and all outdoor activities – this has reached a whole other level compared to the past years. I’ve always been a fan of the cold seasons, yes, and can’t wait for the summer to be over (crazy, I know), but this year I’ve been just as excited as this fat little fellow.

Tali

The picture above is taken at the Tali golf course (golf course!) and I’ve been skiing the very same route many times already. Each and every time that I pass by these views, I really feel like taking pictures, but the sports freak in me never let me stop. Except for the last time that we were there. And boy am I happy I did stop for a few pics :)

We even had a bit of sun!

Birch a nice little layer of frost

Willows

Frosty frosting

Ehm.. thistles? Boy am I learning new words here or what? :D

Sis & mom skiing

In addition to this everyday winter craziness, I also have some bigger plans ahead that I’m anxiously looking forward to. Me, my sis, my mom and er better half are heading to the skiing resort in Levi, Lapland in March, just before my birthday. There will be a lot of cross-country skiing in our schedule, but in addition to that a little bit of something else too ;)

My precious <3

Oh yes! I got new gear for downhill skiing! Can’t wait to give them a try <3 These were actually bought from an online auction site, and the seller described the set as ”a pretty little package for the junior in your family” :D lol. It’s all pink and purple, but I don’t mind – they’re mine and suitable for skiing :)